Duke prepares to face ACC foe Virginia Tech

Duke had a nail-biter of a game on March 24 against UCF, but all eyes are on their matchup against ACC foe Virginia Tech Friday night.

Author:
WCNC Staff

Published:
11:15 PM EDT March 28, 2019

Updated:
8:21 PM EDT March 29, 2019

WASHINGTON D.C., DC — Duke's Friday game against Virginia Tech will be just the third time Duke has faced an ACC team in the NCAA tournament.

The other two times were a win against Syracuse in the Sweet 16 in 2018 and a win against Maryland in the 2001 Final Four.

The team feels spent Thursday practicing for the big game.

RJ Barrett (25) and Zion Williamson (21) have the most 20-point games by any Duke freshman in program history.

Williamson has gotten a surplus of media attention during the championship as Duke's stand-out. When Coach K was asked about having Williamson on the team, he said he valued him both as a player and a person, saying, "he's really one of a kind."

Coach K also thinks Williamson and the other freshmen have made this Duke team very likable.

"If you like basketball, you should like these kids," he said. "Whether you like me or not, that's another question."

Duke had a nail-biter of a game on March 24 against UCF, but all eyes are on their matchup against ACC foe Virginia Tech Friday night.

The Hokies defeated Duke when they were without Williamson during the regular season, but Williamson is in it to win it Friday.